The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-07-13
MISS HoucHTALINc's MEMORY,
Its Curious impairment Following a
Severe headache.

Miss Laura Houghtaling, of Chicago, has
for some days been suffering from peculiar
affection of the brain. which has SO far baf-
fled the best medical skill The prominence
OF the young lady in North Side society, her
great beauty, rare social qualities, and in
Stinctive refinement, make the case, says the
News, peculiarly sad one. A few morn
ings ago, Miss Houghtaling, who had been
suhering from severe headache for several
days, was aroused by her sister coming into
her room.
Why" said she as she looked up, ''your
lace seems familiar to me; where have met
your? The sister reDlied in jocular man.
aer, thinking that the words were only ut
tered in Iun. Further questioning, however,
soon dispelled this illusion. and it was ascer-
tanned that Miss Houghtaling had complete
~ lost her memory for faces. When she re-
tlre a the night before she was in perfect
health, with the exception of headache,
ana was apparently in the best of spirits.
1t was at first thought that the loss of mem
ory was but momentary. and that after
she became thoroughly aroused it would dis
appear. Such was not the case, however
and the only person in the family whom she
has been able to recognize is her mother. At
present Miss Houghtaling is in excellent
health, and with the exception of her inabili-
ty to recognize any of her former friends is
the same as ever. The other day one of her
school friends called upon her at the house.
she said;
They tell me that know you; that we
were schoolmates, but / have not the slight
est recollection of ever having met you be-
MISS Houshtaling is engaged to be married
70 young Chicagoan, but has no recollec-
lion OF her af1anced or the fact that the en-
gagement exists.
one OF the most pathetic incidents in the
SAD a1alr occurred few days ago when she
went TO the closet which contained her
dresses. a married sister of hers had re-
Gently died and she was in deep mourning.
whose dresses are these?" said she.
'Ihey are very pretty; but why are tbev ali
black?" Then, taking one Of her hats from
a hook, she continued: why is all this
grape on the hat?'
The dresses and hats were her own. bpt
she not only had forgotten their existence
but her memory of her dead sister had en-,
tirely gone. Her mind at present is perfect
blank as far as the past is concerned. She
feels neither grief nor joy in the past; she
lives entirely IN the present and in anticipa-
tion of the future. All efforts to restore her
memory have so far been entirely futile.
The strangest part of the affair is that the
memory as concerns faces only seems to
be affected. The ability to read and
write still exists, and also recollec-
tion Of places and dates No other
portion of the mind is in the slightest de-
gree affected, and Miss Houghtaling remem-
bers everything that has happened since the
attack. She appreciates the condition into
winch she has fallen, but believes that her
old memory will soon return. Physicians
say that the fact that she recognizes her
mother Is favorable sign and leads them to
believe that the functions of memory are
suspended only temporarily. Miss Hough-
tallng Is little over 20 years of age, and
was very popular in society circles last win